The Fall of the Wolvators
by Beatrix the Goddess
Summary: I've reuploaded this cos last time it had a bug in it. It's about Nanaki's tribe & what happened to them. Please R & R!


The Fall of the Wolvators  
  
Author's Note: Yes I realize that Nanaki's father is called Seto, but I thought of all these names and the plot and stuff before I got to all the Nanaki stuff in the game. When I finally decided to write this I decided to keep the original names that I'd thought of. So many apologies to all you game fanatics that can't bear one detail to be wrong. Enjoy!  
  
All was quiet in Cosmo Canyon, the people slept under a safe, cosy blanket of night, beneath their own roofs. But it was only the people; another kind of creature that resided in Cosmo Canyon, were wide awake under nothing but stars, each and every sense heightened to its pitch. The Wolvators.  
  
Some people claimed the Wolvators to be great red beasts who breathed fire, and took children in the night. Some swore that they had been savagely attacked by them, and barely escaped with their lives. But this was merely rumour and fantasy. The people of Cosmo Canyon alone knew the fact from fiction; and in some ways the fact was much more frightening.  
  
The Wolvators were not man-hunters or bloodthirsty killers who would attack unprovoked. They protected Cosmo Canyon from the Gi- a fearsome race of monsters who lived in the caves under the settlement. The Wolvators owed their loyalty and trust to the people of Cosmo Canyon because the founder of it had saved the life of the first Wolvator when it had been mortally wounded. The trust of the Wolvators is a valuable thing to possess.  
  
The Wolvators may have been faithful to the villagers, but they were deadly creatures to face in battle; their sharp, razor-edged teeth could cut through metal armour in less than a second. Their claws could reduce flesh to threads and spill blood like a scarlet waterfall. And their eyes had the ability to hypnotize- they mesmerized you with their beauty; two dark fathoms- deep pools ringed with golden fire. They were also terrible to look at; their blinding orange fur rippled like tongues of flame, and it took great courage to look into their faces for they could see straight through you into your very soul. Your mind contains your thoughts, but your soul contains you- even the parts you don't know about you, or don't like about you. The Wolvators could see all that. They may have been terrible to look upon, but it was a beautiful, noble sort of terribleness; the sort that makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.  
  
But there was no Wolvator so beautiful or noble or terrible as Torea, he was the leader of the Wolvators; a huge beast with teeth and claws like silver knives.  
  
All was quiet, children slept, lovers loved, and Wolvators guarded. Controlling the Gi was a fairly easy task; they were reasonably weak opponents that were an easy and quick kill. Had they been in groups they would have been a tough challenge, but they didn't seem to have the brains to attack en masse. And so peace reigned for the moment.  
  
Torea was patrolling the lower ridge, below Cosmo Canyon where the Gi liked to climb up and take the Wolvators at the top by surprise. But they made such a noise scrambling up the cliff that the surprise element was lost and the Wolvators at the top simply threw them over the side to meet their death on the hard ground below. Still, it was best to be careful,  
  
Torea padded along the ridge, thinking over the day. His mate Sikazin was pregnant with their cubs and they would be born any day soon. It was to be a joyous occasion because they would be the first newborn Wolvators for over fifty years.  
  
'I hope she's alright,' Torea thought; he hated leaving her alone for so long in her condition. But duty was duty. The hours passed and he gave up worrying and settled his mind into the clear tranquil state that was so good for long hours; while his body was still completely aware of everything. But the Gi seemed to be taking a holiday tonight. Nothing stirred; there was no need to remain here.  
  
"I'm coming up. It's Torea, " he called up, following it with a special howl that was used between the pack. He slowly pulled his way up- his claws easily gripping the unique red rock of Cosmo Canyon. Another watch completed, and it would be the same, night after night after-  
  
Suddenly there rose a howl, ending in a shrill yelp, then the sound of a struggle. Torea scrambled up as fast as he could and found two Wolvators fighting a Gi at the top. He threw himself into the throng and soon the Gi backed of- it was no match for the three of them.  
  
"You have not seen the last of Gydolen!" it snarled before bounding off, presumably to the nearest cave entrance.  
  
"Are you alright?" Torea asked the other two Wolvators; comparatively young ones who had only just joined the proper fighting squad.  
  
"We're fine thank you sir, " replied one.  
  
"We thought it was you," explained the other. "We heard scrambling just after you called out to us."  
  
"It was a very big Gi," the first one remarked  
  
"And strong too," said the other.  
  
Torea put it down to the fact that they were new. He led the way back to the village and did not hear the soft, maniacal laughter coming from a hidden hole in the ground.  
  
The sun rose and a new day began.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sikazin purred with pleasure as Torea entered their cave home, she could not get up to greet him because of her swollen belly. Torea came and nuzzled her.  
  
"How did it go tonight?" she enquired.  
  
"No major crisis's," replied Torea with a laugh. "Me and a couple of young ones had a bit of a scuffle but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle." He said this without boasting for it was true- there wasn't much that the Wolvators couldn't handle.  
  
"It's been happening a lot recently hasn't it?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, more than usual," Torea mused. "But it's happened before; there's been a Gi who thinks he's more powerful than the rest and started a rebellion. But they'll never destroy us."  
  
"Well isn't it better to be safe than sorry?" she replied, fixing her golden eyes on him.  
  
His heart melted. "There speaks the voice of wisdom," he laughed, giving her a loving lick. "Fine. I'll step up the patrols a little. But first I need my sleep."  
  
They lay down side by side. Torea felt a faint kicking in Sikazin's belly and he smiled to himself. The Cosmo Flame flickered outside; casting weird shadows over the walls of the cave. It was a warm, dry cave- not like the cold damp caverns of the Gi. The sounds of people could be heard outside, but Torea was used to it and did not stir. Sikazin was already asleep. As he gradually drifted into the void of sleep a thought occurred to him. That Gi- Gydolen, had known. It had known that the two guards at the top would think it was he, Torea, scrambling up. And how did it know when Torea was going to climb up? Because it had been following him. And Torea had not noticed a thing  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A spider scuttled across the cold wet floor of the cave, Gydolen whipped it up in his claw and devoured it in one chomp. He licked his lips and salivated for more; it was a mere morsel, not nearly enough to fill his cavern of hunger. But food was hard to come by. Yet again he thought angrily about how his tribe's situation had come about, and he snarled, baring his decaying yellow teeth.  
  
Many thousands of years ago- when the Cosmo Canyon settlement had not existed; the Gi has roamed wild over these cliffs, they were the absolute rulers of everything around them. Other creatures had shrunk back in fear whenever a Gi had approached. They had dined on fresh meat every day and nothing dared to oppose their power. But then some new creatures came- humans from over the sea. They had beaten back the Gi with their strange spells and mystical summons. Then they had built their settlement, and at the centre they had lit the Cosmo Flame. This was a single tongue of fire that never went out. It repelled every living being who did not have a good heart and soul. So the humans took all the best food and water, leaving the Gi to retreat underground and starve in their squalid pits.  
  
But over time the Cosmo Flame's power withered and died- it became merely a pretty decoration that gave out heat and nothing else. And the people of Cosmo Canyon withered too. They were no longer the great warriors that they had once been. They were just ordinary villagers. Only a select few knew about the Flame's wonderful powers. Cosmo Canyon could have been destroyed easily- except for one problem. Gydolen trembled with anger. The Wolvators were that problem. Horrid great red beasts who would kill any living Gi on sight.  
  
"They're brainless the lot of them, " Gydolen muttered, thinking of his fellow Gi. If they had all been as intelligent as he, then a victory would have been easy, but they were not. The only possible way to claim back Cosmo Canyon was to make the Gi invincible.  
  
As if on cue the door creaked slowly open, and a lantern cast shadows everywhere and made the bats fly, as a figure glided into the cave.  
  
"Gydolen," it said, with an acknowledging bow of it's head.  
  
"Professor Hojo," Gydolen replied. He tried to ease himself up from where he was sitting, but fell back down again gasping. Hojo curled his lip in distaste. Gydolen cursed his deformed useless body that was the reason why he could not conduct a co-ordinated attack himself.  
  
"I trust you have the formula, " he asked the scientist.  
  
"Of course," Hojo replied, drawing back his lab coat to reveal several small vials. Gydolen reached forward greedily but Hojo stepped back neatly out of his reach.  
  
"Oh no, you don't touch these until you swear to your part of the bargain."  
  
Gydolen hesitated. Hojo revealed an object tucked in the other side of his lab coat.  
  
"Alright," Gydolen said hastily. "You may have one of the Wolvators alive."  
  
"Oh I don't just want any Wolvator. I want the leader!" And Hojo cackled evilly.  
  
"Why the leader?" asked Gydolen mulishly. He had been hoping to have some fun of his own with him.  
  
"Because I say so you imbecile!" screeched Hojo, the veins popping in his neck.  
  
"Ok fine, you can have the leader alive, but only the leader!" Gydolen snarled in frustration.  
  
"That is all I require," answered Hojo coldly. He removed the vials from his coat and handed them over to Gydolen, flinching a little as he touched the cold, clammy flesh.  
  
"You know what to do," he said. Gydolen nodded. Hojo hurriedly left the cave, anxious to get back to his latest experiment- a cloned Ancient.  
  
Gydolen watched him leave. He didn't trust the scheming scientist one bit, but there was no other way. He instructed the guard outside to gather all the Gis who were capable of fighting, and to bring them to the main chamber. They were at least able to carry out simple orders. He turned down a narrow passage to the left, which led to the main chamber. He thought hungrily of the lands that would soon be his. And the Wolvators had no idea at all. They were so snooty, they thought nothing could overpower them, they would be caught totally unawares. Nothing could stand in his way.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The last rays of sun disappeared behind the mountains and the glaring red cliffs changed to a dull blue. The dawn of a new night. Torea strolled drowsily to his post. He was tired for he had been up most of the night; Sikazin had given birth to two beautiful healthy cubs. A girl and a boy. They had been named Nina and Nanaki. Sikazin was tired but happy. All three were resting now, although the boy; Nanaki, had shown some sign of wanting to accompany his father- Wolvator cubs were born with fur and their eyes open, within a few hours they were alert and running around and the process of talking also came quickly, they did not learn, they knew.  
  
Torea crept past the Cosmo Flame, careful not to disturb the merry party of people gathered round it. The Wolvators were solitary creatures by nature and they were careful not to intrude on the lives of the villagers. They did what they had to do and upheld their ancient promise; and that was all there was to it. As he was about to leave the village and go out to the lonesome cliffs, he felt a presence behind him. He turned round sharply. A man was standing there-not one of those that had been round the Flame. He was an old man, with a long white beard. And he seemed to be shimmering, as if he wasn't quite there, and he seemed to hover just above the ground. It must just be a trick of the light, Torea decided. He did not believe in ghosts. To him, things were only real if you could see and feel them.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked harshly. He did not appreciate strangers.  
  
"Ho hoo, I am what you see! You believe the only real things are what you can see, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, what of it?" Torea was anxious to get to his post.  
  
"What about the wind, ho hoo? Don't you believe that's real?"  
  
Torea did not have an answer for that. "Get back to the village," he ordered brusquely. "It's not safe out here. " He turned to leave.  
  
"It won't be safe in here either, ho ho hoo!" the man replied to his retreating back. "Not without the Cosmo Flame."  
  
Torea stopped in surprise. The Cosmo Flame? That was an ancient, old- fashioned device. Surely it was not needed now?  
  
"There is.no need of it, " he answered. "Be on your way old man." And he padded off.  
  
"Ho ho hoo, have it your way," the old man chuckled softly. "Deeds will be done before the night is out." Torea did not see him disappear in a puff of white smoke.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"The time is now," Gydolen whispered gleefully. "The time of my uprising!" He would have rubbed his hands together, but his wafer-thin skin would have been ripped away.  
  
"That's it my pretties," he crooned as Gi after Gi marched past him on their way to the upper world; their eyes dark and unseeing. He must venture to the upper world too- in order for the plan to work. He did not relish the idea; his body could not cope with travelling long distances, but at least he would be well protected.  
  
"Those stupid, ignorant Wolvators!" he cackled. "I'll kill every last one of them!" But the trouble was that he couldn't kill all of them- Hojo needed one alive for his own mysterious purposes. But there was still fun to be had. Mental torture was far worse than physical. Even the weather was favouring them- a thunder storm was on it's way, what a perfect backdrop for his triumph.  
  
The army marched steadily across the red, barren ground. There was no sign of other life anywhere; all the other creatures had fled to their homes; fearing what was to happen. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. The Wolvators were sensitive to these changes, and Torea had come rushing back to the village t prepare everyone. Sikazin trembled at the back of her cave. Nina and Nanaki were whimpering softly.  
  
"Torea what is it?" Sikazin asked, her tail flicking back and forth nervously.  
  
"I don't know," answered Torea. "I'll take a patrol out. We'll stop Gydolen and his minions, we will protect this place even if we die I the attempt." Sikazin nuzzled him.  
  
"Promise me you'll come back," she whispered. Torea looked at her, the Cosmo Flame picking out highlights in her fur, Nina and Nanaki huddled at her feet. His family. He loved them all.  
  
"Of course I will," he told her, giving her a lick. With one last look he turned to go. There was a scuffle behind him.  
  
"Let me come with you Father," said Nanaki, trying to look tall and brave. Torea smiled. He truly was a son to be proud of.  
  
"No Nanaki," he said. "It's too dangerous for you."  
  
"I'm not afraid," the young cub retorted.  
  
"You must stay here and look after your mother and sister for me. Will you do that?"  
  
"Alright," the cub replied after a long pause. "I won't let you down."  
  
"That's my boy." And Torea strode out of the cave towards the village entrance, gathering his warriors as he went. The people seemed to know that a life-changing battle was taking place tonight, and they stood at their doors watching. Some were waving, some were crying, and all were praying. It was a truly historic moment- the Wolvators and the people were joined together for an instant, drawing strength from each other. Then they were gone. The people disappeared inside their homes and the remaining Wolvators slunk back to their homes with heavy hearts.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Here they come!" screeched Gydolen, catching sight of the first Wolvator coming over the crest of the hill. "Be ready!"  
  
But the Wolvators did not seem to be in a fighting position. In fact the leader was carrying a green branch in his teeth.  
  
"Hold it!" Gydolen commanded. What was this? Surely they were not surrendering already? They were fools if they were. Not that he was complaining. Things would be far easier if they did surrender, and yet... if they did then his dealings with Hojo would have been for nothing, and the army was spoiling for blood.  
  
"What do you want Wolvator?" he spat contemptuously. "Surely you are not such cowards as to surrender now?"  
  
"My name is Torea," replied the leader evenly. "And we are not surrendering. We just wish to know what your reason is for this unprovoked attack."  
  
"There has been no attack yet," answered Gydolen quite truthfully. "But there will be, unless you wish to bargain?"  
  
"If we can form a truce that suits the both of us, then yes."  
  
"Fine, here are my terms; give up Cosmo Canyon, all it's people, and yourself, then there will be no blood," he leered with a sickening grin on his face.  
  
"I cannot agree to that and you know it," answered Torea quietly.  
  
"Very well! ATTACK!!! " roared Gydolen, signalling his army to charge forward.  
  
Torea had no time to do anything but call the Wolvators to arms, before he was swamped in the rabble. He could smell blood already. He slashed at the nearest Gi and drew a great gaping wound in it's side, rendering it useless. The Gi roared in pain, but instead of curling up on the ground, dead, it merely stood there, and in a few seconds the wound had healed, and there stood the Gi more powerful than it been before! Torea was frightened and confused. How could it have happened? What chance did they have against an invincible enemy? He could hear the screams of the other Wolvators behind him. Terrible, animal screams that cut him inside. They were screams of unimaginable pain. Torea howled in frustration and misery. Why, against these monsters they were about as strong as that old man he had met earlier-  
  
Torea flicked his tail. The old man! He had said there would be bloodshed tonight, and he'd mentioned the Cosmo Flame! He stiffened his jaw in resolve, if he couldn't save his tribe then he could at least save the people. But that would mean going back to the village and leaving his tribe. Deserting them. Could he do that? His common sense told him that it was the only thing left to do. But his heart told him that a good leader never deserts his fellow men. He looked on the nightmarish scene before him. He could be no use there. With an unshakeable feeling of guilt, he bolted towards the village.  
  
Gydolen saw him go. No not him! "You there!" he barked, gesturing to five Gis. "After him!" They raced off, with the taste of blood on their jaws.  
  
Torea flew over the ground, he heard the Gis giving chase and he pushed himself even harder. He had to save somebody. The wind whistled in his ears and thunder cracked around him, the storm had broken. Now he ha to battle with the driving rain. Ahead of him he saw an animal shape and skidded to a halt.  
  
"Sikazin! What are you doing here?" he asked frantically  
  
"Oh I'm so glad you're safe," she cried. "Nanaki was worried about you, he ran out here, I went to look for him and Nina wouldn't leave me, so we're all out here!"  
  
Torea felt he was in a dream, no, a nightmare. He saw the Gis chasing him and rapidly getting closer. He thought of the Cosmo Flame, and of his family. He couldn't protect both. What was he to do? His heart broke.  
  
"Run!" he ordered. "Find somewhere safe!" and he galloped off towards the village.  
  
"Torea!" he heard Sikazin call out in an agonized voice.  
  
"Father!" Nanaki's little voice was shaking  
  
"Torea! Save us! Please! Don't leave us!" Sikazin wept.  
  
Torea was crying too, the tears streamed down his face, his heart was ripped to shreds. They were gone. All gone. Because he had left them to die. He had left everyone, he had no-one left. How could he live with himself? He narrowed his eyes. He still had one thing left to do. He burst through the village entrance and whipped past the people, ignoring their questions and shouts.  
  
"I know the mechanism's here somewhere," he muttered as he pawed away everything with his split and bleeding claws. Everything was hazy to him, the only clear thing was an image of Sikazin floating across his vision. Why? Why was all this happening? He saw the mechanism and reached his shaking paw towards it- why was he the only one to know the secret? Why did he have to sacrifice everything? Why him?  
  
Outside the Flame flared up into a blazing beacon. People screamed and their screams mingled with Torea's pain. He was surrounded by suffering, it was everywhere. What was the point in living anymore? He might as well give himself up to the Gi, then he could die as well. The screams grew louder and more terrified. Surely they were not that scared of fire? Such ignorance. He looked out- and saw a truly horrifying sight. The Gi were pouring in the entrance of the village- the Cosmo Flame's powers were useless. Again and again it attacked them, but the flames just bounced off them into the darkness. A hideously disfigured corpse was thrown in the air and Torea heard it land with a dull thud on the roof. He lay down on the floor, put his head between his paws, and wept. He wept for his family, for his fellow Wolvators, for himself and for the pointlessness of his existence. But he did not weep for the people. It was they who had placed the Wolvators eternally in their debt. It was their fault that his tribe was dead. Well if they were dead then he would die too. He would give himself up.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"We've won!!" Gydolen howled frenziedly, drinking in the sight of death around him. There was not a soul left alive in Cosmo Canyon. The cliffs were his to roam now!  
  
"Fellow Gis!" he yelled above their screams of victory. "We have won a great battle today, that will be remembered throughout history. But we have not finished yet. Find me the leader!"  
  
"There is no need of that," said a voice behind him. Gydolen whipped round. There was the leader or 'Torea' as he was known, standing in a broken doorway.  
  
"You have taken everything from me," he said in a voice of one who only wishes to die. "I have nothing left. You may kill me and be done with it."  
  
"Seize him!" ordered Gydolen. The Gi did so and Torea made no resistance, but as they were raising their claws to strike him down, Gydolen bawled, "Stop!" He had been intending to kill him and tell Hojo that it had been done in the heat of battle and he did not know who was responsible. Hojo had forgotten that a single one of these new Gis could kill him in one sneaky strike. But Gydolen had made an interesting discovery earlier, and he did not mean to dispose of Torea just yet.  
  
He and a small group over Gis marched back to their caves, dragging Torea behind them- his once gleaming coat spattered with mud. Once there, Torea was thrown into Gydolen's private chambers and the two were left alone.  
  
"What do you want with me?" Torea asked wearily. Why haven't you killed me yet?  
  
"Do you really wish to die so much?" enquired Gydolen with a devilish smile.  
  
"I have nothing left to live for," came the answer.  
  
Gydolen chuckled. He had meant to draw this out for as long as possible- but he knew that Hojo would be here soon, so he decided to proceed.  
  
"Well then, here's a little taste of what you'll be experiencing!" he told him harshly, as Sikazin was dragged in roughly by two guards.  
  
Torea looked up with a mixture of gladness and horror. "Sikazin my darling!" he cried, with a lump in his throat.  
  
"Torea-" she called out before being gagged.  
  
"What are you going to do with her?" asked Torea in terror.  
  
"This," and Gydolen snapped his fingers.  
  
It was terrible. Only true evil could have done that to any creature. Torea shut his eyes to block out the sight. But the air was filled with her terrible, agonizing screams.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Don't you want to know about your children, my dear Torea?" asked Gydolen mockingly, some hours later.  
  
"You'll have had them killed as well, said Torea brokenly.  
  
"That's right! However did you guess!" laughed Gydolen.  
  
Torea pursed his lips- he would not show any emotion in front of that creature.  
  
"Oh Torea, you think I don't know how you're feeling? It's no use trying to hide from me." He put his face close to Torea's. "I know everything," he whispered softly.  
  
Torea spat in his face.  
  
"Fine have it you way," Gydolen snarled furiously and he raised his claw.  
  
The door flew open and Hojo swept in. Torea was sure he had been accompanied by an icy blast.  
  
"Where is it Gydolen? Where is my specimen?" he barked out.  
  
"If you mean the Wolvator leader then he's here," answered Gydolen sulkily. He did not want to give up his prize. No, he would not give it up.  
  
"Stand back Hojo," he growled. "He's mine, I caught him fair and square."  
  
Hojo's eyes narrowed. "We made a deal Gydolen, I don't like being cheated."  
  
"Neither do I, and I won't be cheated of my prize."  
  
"He's my prize not, yours. I will have him." Hojo answered with quiet certainty.  
  
" No you shan't," Gydolen said, also with quiet certainty.  
  
The corner of Hojo's mouth flickered in what was possibly meant to be a smile. "Well if we're going to fight then lets do it properly," he leered.  
  
Gydolen wasn't one to turn down a challenge. They circled each other menacingly. Torea watched, only half interested, he didn't care about anything anymore. The protective magic went up first, then spells flew fast and furiously. Hojo's were far more powerful, but Gydolen's claws were sharp and deadly. Outside the storm raged. Torea wondered vaguely why they were fighting over him. He wasn't a prize worth having. He wasn't worth anything. He had left his family to die. To die, goddammit!! What had he been thinking? And it had all been for nothing. The Gis would rule again now. And he would die soon. At that thought he felt only relief. He would be able to get away from this horrible nightmare. He found himself hoping that Gydolen would win, for he did not know what Hojo planned to do with him. But he could stir himself to care that much.  
  
The fight was still raging, getting more bitter by the minute. Both fighters had wounds, but they still kept pounding. Gydolen attacked Hojo with a series of rapid slashes. At last Hojo gave a frustrated yell and pulled aside his lab coat. Gydolen knew he was doomed. But if he was going to die, then he wasn't going to give Hojo the satisfaction of having Torea. He started edging towards him.  
  
"Before he dies, would you like to know how he managed to murder your tribe?" Hojo asked Torea.  
  
"You're going to tell me anyway," answered Torea dully.  
  
"I changed them into the undead!!" and Hojo's evil laughter rang through the cavern.  
  
Torea's mind was in turmoil. Undead? Was that it? He ran out onto the high ridge outside the cave that looked over the once prosperous Cosmo Canyon, and let forth a howl of anguish. Undead! If he had known that, he could have defeated them! But instead his home now lay in ruins. It was too unbearable to think about.  
  
"Kill me now!" he howled. "End my torment!"  
  
And he got his wish.  
  
Gydolen was too far away to kill him, so he did the next best thing. A jet of black energy shot forth from him. And a stone Wolvator stood straight and true on the ridge, forever guarding his kingdom.  
  
"No!!!" screeched Hojo furiously. "My specimen!" His bosses at Shinra would be furious with him! Where was he to find another Wolvator? He turned in rage.  
  
"You!" he yelled pointing at Gydolen, it was your fault!" He flung a Phoenix Down towards him, and Gydolen fell to the ground, lifeless.  
  
The last of the night's bloodshed. A night to remember  
  
Hojo rushed over to Torea and beat upon him with his fists, but to no avail. The great mane was forever held swept back by the wind. And the face would forever have that tormented, but noble expression imprinted on it. The tail was not drooping in defeat, but up high. As if he had known what was going to happen. Torea was at peace now. Never again to be racked by guilt and troubled with his earthly cares. Rest in peace Torea.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The sun shone down on the battlefield, baking the dead bodies in the heat. There was a loud monotonous buzzing of flies as they dug deep into the pools of blood and mangled flesh.  
  
One body moved, one body was still alive although he was as dripping with blood as the rest. The cub instinctively flicked a fly away from his ear and opened his eyes, but he could only open one- the other was a mass of bruising. He stared at the awful scene that surrounded him, but he still couldn't take in the true horror of the situation. Perhaps it was better that way, for surely his young mind would have been driven mad if he had known the terrible truth. He only had two thoughts in his head right now. Firstly, his sister was dead and his mother missing, most likely dead, all because he had not been able to protect them. And secondly, his father had left them all to die; he had run to save his own life, deserting them. The cub dragged himself over to the shade of a nearby rock and fell into an exhausted, feverish sleep among the motionless corpses of his once glorious tribe.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ho ho hoo, what have we here?" Bugenhagen asked himself curiously. "A survivor perhaps? He is breathing. Ah, a seed of life amongst all this death, ho hoo. Wake up there young master! Wake up!" And he shook the cub gently.  
  
The cub stared up at this old man with a long white beard- the end of it was stained red.  
  
"What is your name?" Bugenhagen asked.  
  
"...Nanaki," the cub answered hesitantly. He didn't trust anyone now.  
  
Bugenhagen mind gave a jolt, but he was careful not to show that anything was amiss. So, Torea's son had survived. That was indeed a good omen.  
  
"Well my boy. We had better go and see what's left of our village. Will you come with me?"  
  
Nanaki assented and stood up shakily. What choices did he have left? There was nothing else he could do. He and Bugenhagen walked slowly and steadily back towards their home.  
  
"You do realize of course, that there were other survivors, ho hoo?" Bugenhagen enquired.  
  
"Who? My mother?" asked Nanaki eagerly. Bugenhagen looked at him sadly. What had this cub done to deserve losing all his family?  
  
"No young master, I'm afraid not." Nanaki's head drooped.  
  
"Who then?" he asked dejectedly.  
  
"Human survivors. Two families hid in the Gis very own caves and escaped the bloodshed."  
  
The Gis! Nanaki had forgotten about them. "What about the Gis? Won't they kill us sooner or later?" He found himself not caring whether he died or not.  
  
"Their leader is dead," said Bugenhagen bluntly.  
  
"What about the others? There were hundreds of them!"  
  
"Oh a few may make a weak attempt to kill us. But I'll soon deal with them, ho hoo!" and he chuckled delightedly. "You've never heard of Phoenix Downs have you?"  
  
"No, what are they?" asked Nanaki, puzzled.  
  
"They kill undead creatures instantly. And I found a nice little stack of them in Gydolen's lair."  
  
"Were the Gi undead?"  
  
"Yes, that's why your father and the rest of them couldn't harm them."  
  
"Oh him." Nanaki grew angry.  
  
"Your father was one of the bravest beasts I've known. Why are you so bitter?"  
  
"He left my mother, my sister and I to die," Nanaki retorted savagely.  
  
"He had his reasons."  
  
"We should have been more important."  
  
Bugenhagen sighed. He could see that the cub's mind would not be changed. Well, he would learn someday, not for a very long time, but someday.  
  
"I think I am going to put Cosmo Canyon to more use," he said, deliberately changing the subject.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Much knowledge was learnt here, but it was all in vain. I think I shall make it a place of knowledge. The village is in a high place which faces the Eastern sky. I think I shall make it into an observatory."  
  
And he went on to explain to Nanaki what his plans were and how great Cosmo Canyon would become. He continued long into the night, joined by the remaining people. They sat round the Cosmo Flame, talking until dawn of their new and prosperous future.  
  
As the sun rose, it cast a ray of light upon a burnt down house; but no- one except Bugenhagen saw a phoenix fly up from the ashes.  
  
  
  
  
  
THE END  
  
(But there might be a sequel) 


End file.
